Saturday, August 16, 2014

PLEASE MEET ANOTHER RISING ACTOR FROM MY OWN CHILDHOOD HOME TOWN OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA -

COURTNEY FURNELL

1
Please tell us a
little bit about your background;

A: I was born and
grew up in Adelaide. I have a pretty complex family background, but the simple version - I’m the eldest, with two younger brothers. Beau is twenty seven and D’Arcy is twenty two and I have two beautiful parents; Mignon and Darcy. We moved around a little
when I was younger, so I went to two different primary schools and two
different high schools. I failed Year twelve the first year around by just one point,
so I went back to get my High School Equivalency.

2
You are an
actor. Have you always wanted to be an
entertainer or did you aspire to be something else when you were younger?

A: Ever since I can
remember I’ve loved “playing pretend”, but then again, what kid hasn’t? I started
taking drama classes when I was about nine or ten. My mum would look into local
theatre groups which offered classes and then that’s what I chose to do as my
extra curricular. I was involved in probably two or three different drama centres
until I was thirteen. During high school I continued with some acting classes and
took part in all drama productions. After high school I showed an interest in
the behind-the-scenes side of TV & Film; ultimately falling back into acting
though.

The simple answer
is - yes, I have always wanted to be an entertainer of some description.

3
Is anyone else in
your family and/or relations in entertainment?

A: No.

4
Have you been
professionally trained in acting?

A: I have just been
accepted into an acting school opening its doors in Adelaide. Up until now, I
have taken part in professional acting classes.

5Are you
professionally managed or do you represent yourself?

A: I have an agent.
But I am yet to be “professionally” managed.

6
What have you
appeared in?

A: I haven’t appeared
in anything yet. I’m a real “newbie”, but I’m excited about that.

7
Have you worked
alongside any well-known names?

A: No. Well, unless
you count performing with them in several high school drama productions.

A: I feel like most
people have been bullied in some way. I certainly wasn’t the worst case in any
school I attended and I never felt as though I couldn’t go to school because of
it. If I wasn’t in drama class, I feel like it could have been worse, but
through drama I made a lot of friends from different “cliques”. I was what I
would describe as a “drifter”. I didn’t have a group of certain friends - I just
floated from group to group. There were a fair amount of people throughout
school that thought I was weird and would make fun of me behind my back for it.
I just marched to the beat of my own drum and upon reflection I didn’t care
what anyone thought. Though, I can admit I was a “people pleaser” - all I wanted
is for everyone to like me. It took me too long to realise that was never going
to be possible.

I do realise that
bullying doesn’t just take place in school. It can take place anywhere at any
time in life.

10
Whether you have
been bullied or not, do you feel that the governments and schools around the
world are doing enough to try to combat this problem?

A: I don’t think
there is ever anything anyone can do that would be ENOUGH. There is certainly
always more than can be done. I feel
that by what we see on the news there is a lot more that can be done in some
schools in the United States, but the same can be said of Australian schools.
The fact there is a zero tolerance for bullying now is great! But kids will
always find a way around it. I don’t know if bullying will ever be completely
eradicated.

11
What further do
you feel the above could and should do to either try to combat this problem
hugely – or eliminate it altogether?

A: As mentioned, I
don’t think it will ever be eliminated completely. Though, I do believe that
anyone working in the education system should be completely neutral when it
comes to their beliefs on fluid sexuality and depression. I feel as though it
plays a big part in bullying and not
just by the students. I suffered from the “Black Dog” in high school badly and
there wasn’t enough support back then. I feel that on a whole though, all parts
of the world are doing what they can to combat bullying.

12
On a personal
level, what would you like to do to help in the fight against bullying?

A: I would love to be
someone that people can talk to. Share my stories and be a sounding board.
Prove to them that things get better. For one, that life is not what it is in high school. Secondly,
that you can get through any sort of bullying, whether it be in school or the
workplace.

13
What advice would
you give to someone who is experiencing this nightmare at the moment?

A: That life gets
better. It sounds trivial and something only an “old person would say”. But
it’s SO true. Life is not what it’s like in high school, some people grow up
and some don’t, but you will be the one that comes out on top. Don’t let the
bullying ruin your life, because you WILL get through it and you’ll show your bullies
that in one way or another you survived.

Again, this is the
same for bullying in the workplace. You have to take the power away from you
bully.

14What is on your
professional agenda for the rest of 2014?

A: I am starting at
Film & TV Studio International in Adelaide in October. So, that is my main
priority for the rest of this year. However, I have also written a short film
that I am trying to get funding for; that will be an additional priority for
the remainder of the year.

15
Do you have a
special message you would like to share with the world?

A: DARE TO DREAM.

16Is there anything
further you would like to add?

A: Adding to the
above:

It sounds SO
obvious, but literally DO IT. Don’t worry about the trivial day-to-day of life,
just pick what you would love to do for the rest of your life and if that’s
what you REALLY want to do; MAKE IT HAPPEN. Life is too short to live it for
other people.

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About Me

Lannah was born in South Australia in 1955, and raised on "Pitcairn Station". Her primary education was provided by School of the Air and correspondence lessons, followed by boarding school in Adelaide. Later, she went on to hold a variety of positions in Adelaide and then in other states.
After travelling overseas she returned home via Western Australia and decided to settle there. Lannah and her husband, Stuart, have two daughters, Robyn and Fiona, both in their twenties.
Lannah works full time. She is passionate about her family, animals, the outback of Australia, and writing, among many other interests.